Lucknow: Taking serious note of a goof-up at a mass marriage event in Unnao on Jul 24, where mattresses wrapped with covers made of the Trinamool Congress flag cloth were given away to some of the 429 couples that were married, minister for social welfare Asim Arun said he is considering major checks to ensure that quality of such events is not compromised. To begin with, the department will be sending observers to all ceremonies organised under the CM mass marriage scheme while making it compulsory to procure gifts under the scheme “well in advance” to ensure quality control.“Strict action is being taken against officials and the vendor who procured the mattresses in the Unnao case. Now, irrespective of how many couples get married at any one event, there will always be an observer from the department present there. A clear SOP has been prepared which will be resent to all districts so that such things are not repeated,” the minister told TOI, adding that the presence of the district magistrate at any marriage event with more than 100 couples was already mandatory.Sources in the govt indicated that the use of another political party’s campaign material had become an embarrassment for the govt, especially when there were just some months left for the assembly elections in UP. The department of social welfare will now be keeping a stricter watch over branding and packaging of gifts and promotional material.Sources in the department said some complaints of poor quality or counterfeit goods have been received over several months, to tackle which a detailed SOP had been issued.“After this incident, the department is going to tighten reins and keep a strict watch over events being organised in districts. A good scheme is getting a bad name over unnecessary issues. A review of the SOP may be done shortly and all administrations and district social welfare officers will be issued fresh directions on organisation of marriages under this scheme,” said an official.
